A Hero For You
by Jonathan Anubian
Summary: When Usopp gives up an arm for her what will Nami do? Why did he save her in the first place? NamiXUsopp


A hero for you

Loud crashing reached her ears as she crouched beside the wall. Planting her foot firmly in front of her she made sure not to slide from the impact of the two pirate ships colliding. The hollers of the other crew as they boarded were almost as deafening as the gun shots and the war cries of her nakama. Going down on all fours she started to crawl toward the safety of the galley or whatever was closest. Feet landed in front of her and she let out a squeak. Looking up, her eyes wide, she saw three men standing with cutlass in hand. The first one began to grin as he raised his arm high in the air.

"NAMI!" Closing her eyes tight she waited for the impact that would mean her life. Moments passed and she felt something warm drip onto her face; what happened to the pain from the impact?

_If I'm bleeding then why would it fall on my face...? _Opening her eyes she saw a rolled up brown pant leg in front of her. Following it up she began to recognize the person who had saved her life. From behind she could see the faintest of smiles upon the sniper's face before he pulled back the band of his slingshot.

"Tobasuko Boshi!" A scream of pain rang through the air as the three enemies in front of them got Tobasco sauce all over their faces and in their eyes.

"Nami, Run!" Turning Usopp quickly grabbed a hold of her hand and helped her up, running as he did so. As she was being led she could see the blood begin to spread down the liar's back.

Usopp the liar, Usopp the coward, but he had risked his life for her.

_Why? _Turning into the room where the steering for the rudder was located he nodded to Chopper who closed and blocked the door. Finally safe Usopp slowly sank to the floor, not realizing he still had a hold of Nami's hand. Instead of letting go she followed her long nosed nakama to the ground.

"Jeez, I thought we were gonna die." Beginning to laugh he jostled his shoulder and let out a pained cry. The young doctor ran over to see what was wrong and started to panic.

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt? This is really bad!" Watching Chopper run around in a panic made Nami concerned, just how wounded was Usopp? Sliding closer she began to peel his clothes away from the wound.

"Oi Nami what... itai!" Trembling she pulled her hands away and looked into the sniper's eyes, nearly in tears.

"You Idiot! Why did you jump in front of me?" Flinching at her voice Usopp tried to move the hand that wasn't being held by Nami and found he couldn't. Looking down at the damage made him begin to feel faint.

"Hold on Usopp!" Chopper appeared, all of his things gathered, and gave him a shot that would numb the skin around the area he needed to work on.

"Nami, hold him down, this still might hurt him." Nodding shakily she pulled Usopp's head onto her lap and held him down firmly. Leaning over him she let her tears fall as Chopper began to stitch up the wound.

"Baka... why would you do that." For some reason Usopp began to smile. Drowsily he reached his now free hand up and touched her face lightly, the medicine was beginning to take effect and it was getting hard for him to feel his body.

"...because you are my..." Laying his arm back down he fell unconscious from blood loss. Shaken and confused at what he had been about to say she looked at the newest crew member in a panic.

"How does it look Chopper?" Deep in thought the young doctor began to shake his head.

"He'll have to keep the arm in a sling and not move it much if he wants a full recovery. But there won't be any infection and it didn't hit bone, just muscle." Hearing this made her begin to relax, though she could still hear the sound of battle nearby. At the door she began to hear loud crashing noises, Chopper seemed worried and looked torn.

"Go, I'll watch him." Pulling him farther onto her lap she wrapped her arms around him and held him carefully. The young reindeer nodded before unbarring the door and administering an ass kicking to whoever it was trying to get inside.

* * *

Later that night when the fighting had ended the crew was gathered on deck to celebrate their accomplishment of repelling the enemy pirate crew. The only one who didn't seem in high spirits was the ship's navigator, she sat with her knees to her chest and a lonely look on her face.

"What's the matter Nami-swan?" Looking up the young navigator was surprised to see the rest of the gathered crew staring at her.

"Oh, uh, it's nothing..." Hearing the door open everyone turned to see a grinning Chopper and a bandaged Usopp already back on his feet.

"Yo, partying without me?" Jumping to her feet Nami ran over and gave him a large hug, making sure to be careful of his injured arm. Luffy began to laugh whole heartedly before Sanji raised a glass with a smile.

"To Usopp, for looking out for our super cute navigator." Everyone gave out a loud Kanpai before chugging their drinks. Turning back to Usopp she could see him blushing from the praise and realized she still had her arms around him. Letting go she smiled and walked back over to the rest of the crew. Usopp and Chopper weren't far behind. Sitting and telling stories of their heroics the three main fighters again praised Usopp, each in their own way.

* * *

Sitting between the ship's Doctor and Navigator Usopp began to enjoy the praise, though he felt he had done nothing praise worthy. In truth his body had acted on it's own, driven by his own personal reason's for wanting to protect Nami. Watching the orange haired young woman beside him smile and tell jokes with the crew he began to blush. When Chopper asked him if he was alright he blamed the alcohol and stated that he would be fine. Trying to listen to the crew tell stories he couldn't help when his eyes were again drawn to the navigator. Catching his eyes she gave him a slightly questioning look. Quickly he looked away, even going so far as to shift away so he wouldn't catch her eye again. He could feel his entire face going red just from looking in her direction. Since when had he started falling in love with her? Swallowing hard he tipped the tankard back and chugged the rest of his drink.

"Well, I'm gonna go lay down and sleep. Dr. Chopper says I won't get better unless I rest a lot. I'll see you all in the morning." This said he stood, using his good arm to balance, and walked toward the stairs leading down into the cabin shared by the men. Almost to the bottom step he heard footsteps.

"Wait, Usopp!" Turning around he was shocked to see that Nami had followed him.

"I needed to ask you something." Paling, his heart starting to race, Usopp wondered if she had noticed him watching her. Then something unexpected happened, Nami was suddenly falling toward him a shocked look on her face. Using his body as a shield he wrapped one arm around her and braced for impact. Landing on the ground with a crunch he groaned. Opening eyes he hadn't realized he had shut he turned a bright lobster red. Laying on his chest, snuggled close in fear, was the orange haired Navigator. Shifting she began to get up and looked around in confusion. Realizing she was laying on top of the injured sniper she made a move to get up.

"Oi, Nami..." The young woman froze, she had never heard Usopp's voice like that before, low, commanding, and full of a deep emotion. Looking up at his face she felt his arm tighten and pull her closer.

"That's two you owe me..." her heart in her chest skipped a beat and she felt a heat rising to her chest. Pushing off of him she felt him loosen his grip and let her go.

"Hmph, so I owe you then huh?" Smiling as Nami stood, glad that she was okay and that he had kept his composure, Usopp tried to get up and found he couldn't. With a sigh she helped him up, giving him a look of suspicion. Scratching the back of his neck he just smiled.

"I'm only kidding. Alright, time to go to sleep." With that he left a bewildered Nami standing in front of the stairs.


End file.
